Proverbs 1
1 The wise sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
That one may learn wisdom and instruction, And receive words of understanding;
3 To be trained in the ways of wisdom, in righteousness and judging truly and straight behaviour:
That one may gain the instruction of prudence, Justice, equity, and uprightness;
4 To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
Which will give caution to the simple, To the young man wisdom and discretion;
5 (The wise man, hearing, will get greater learning, and the acts of the man of good sense will be wisely guided: )
Let the wise man hear, and he will increase his knowledge, And the man of understanding will gain wise counsels;
6 To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
So as to understand a proverb and a deep maxim, The words of the wise and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My son, give ear to the training of your father, and do not give up the teaching of your mother:
Hear, O my son! the instruction of thy father, And neglect not the teaching of thy mother!
9 For they will be a crown of grace for your head, and chain-ornaments about your neck.
For they shall be a graceful wreath for thy head, And a chain around thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.
My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not!
11 If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause;
If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us lurk secretly for him who is innocent in vain;
12 Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death; (Sheol h7585)
Let us swallow them up alive, like the underworld, Yea, in full health, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
13 Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
We shall find all kinds of precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Take your chance with us, and we will all have one money-bag:
Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse;”—
15 My son, do not go with them; keep your feet from their ways:
My son, walk thou not in their way, Refrain thy foot from their path!
16 For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
For their feet run to evil, And make haste to shed blood.
17 Truly, to no purpose is the net stretched out before the eyes of the bird:
For as the net is spread in vain Before the eyes of any bird,
18 And they are secretly waiting for their blood and making ready destruction for themselves.
So they lie in wait for their own blood; They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
Such are the ways of every one greedy of unjust gain; It taketh away the life of the possessor thereof.
20 Wisdom is crying out in the street; her voice is loud in the open places;
Wisdom crieth out in the highway; In the market-place she uttereth her voice;
21 Her words are sounding in the meeting-places, and in the doorways of the town:
At the head of the noisy streets she crieth aloud; At the entrances of the gates, throughout the city, she proclaimeth her words [[saying]]:
22 How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? How long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge?
23 Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.
Turn ye at my reproof! Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make known my words to you!
24 Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand;
“Because I have called, and ye have refused, —Because I have stretched out my hand, and no one hath regarded.
25 You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:
Because ye have rejected all my counsel, And have slighted my rebuke, —
26 So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear;
I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you.
When your fear cometh upon you like a storm. And destruction overtaketh you like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:
Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer! They will seek me early, But they shall not find me!
29 For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord:
Because they have hated knowledge, And have not chosen the fear of the LORD, —
30 They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
Because they would not attend to my counsel, And have despised all my reproof, —
31 So the fruit of their way will be their food, and with the designs of their hearts they will be made full.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own devices;
32 For the turning back of the simple from teaching will be the cause of their death, and the peace of the foolish will be their destruction.
Yea, the turning away of the simple shall slay them, And the carelessness of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoever gives ear to me will take his rest safely, living in peace without fear of evil.
But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell securely, And shall not be disquieted with the fear of evil.”
